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Sunday, 10 September 2017

Life Lessons #GrandParentsDay #LoveJatao

I am yet to meet somebody who does not think fondly of their grandparents. Some were fortunate to be cared and nurtured by their grandparents, while some wish they could have had them for a longer period. There are also a few who have seen theirs only in pictures. But there is always something special about the love of grandparents.

While we sisters were spoilt to no measures by our paternal grandparents, our maternal grandparents had a……let’s just say, a different way to show their affection. I still feel soothing warmth in my heart when I think about my Mai and Dada (paternal grandparents). I can still feel Mai’s wrinkled hands in my hands and clearly visualize Dada sitting in his favourite chair in front of the TV watching DD news and cricket matches.

On the other hand, my Aaji and Appa (maternal grandparents) were completely opposite. They did pamper us a lot, but in a disciplinarian way all through. We could eat everything we wanted but had to get up early every morning, even during vacations. There was no extra TV time and it was mandatory to pay customary visits to relatives, no matter how much you disliked them. As a child and a rebellious teenager, they weren’t the ideal grandparents to me. But when I look back, I realize that I have learnt some of the best life lessons from Aaji-Appa and find myself quoting them very often.

Here are some of Aaji-Appa’s golden life-lessons that continue to guide me…..

You should be able to do everything. Right from sewing a button on your shirt to filing your own tax return. You may become successful and have people to do this for you but that should happen because you can afford it, not because you CAN’T do it yourself.

Always share everything. And it becomes important when the resources are limited.

You cannot pretend in front of children. You have to do what you preach. You cannot ask them to be polite and continue bickering with each other at home.

Sanskaar(values) versus common-sense! Not stealing when somebody is watching is common-sense but not stealing when nobody is watching is Sanskaar.

What goes around comes around. So do your share of good and leave the rest to karma.

It is often sad that we realize the importance of people when they are gone forever from our lives. But one cannot challenge the eternal truth. What we can do to respect their memories is to imbibe their teachings in our lives.

On this #GrandparentsDay, the best way to #LoveJatao is to think about them fondly and sincerely ponder upon their lessons.

Ohh, by the way, my Aaji is still hale and hearty. And her smile still lights up the room every time.

See that light in the background....yeah, that's her aura.

I look forward to hear from you how would you celebrate Grandparents Day. Do share a selfie with your grandparents on Sept. 10, 2017 on Twitter or Facebook with #LoveJatao & tag @blogadda to win a goodie from Parachute Advansed.